Fastener



W. M. BROOKS.

FASTENEH.

APPLICATION FILED 0:12.10, Isla.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Application filed December 10, 1918. Serial No. 266,030.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WINFRED M. Bnooxs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of' l/Vest Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention. relates generally to fasteners or seals of the character' shown in Patent No. 1,147,142. In the construction of seal of said patent, it has been found 1n actual practice that the fastener may be removed at times by applying Stresses gently and alternately to the two sides of the head portion without rupturing said fastener', and that in consequence the box or other object to which the fastener is attached may be tampered with and no trace of it disclosed.

The main object of this invention is to render the rupture of the seal or fastener certain regardless of the point at which stresses are applied, and the invention consists of the hereinafter described features, a preferred embodiment of which is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a fragmentary view of one corner of a box in section showing the main prong of the fastener in position, and before the auxiliary prong is driven home.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the auxiliary prong driven home. n

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the fastener broken in an attempt at tamperm0.

The fastener consists of a head portion 4, a main prong 5 and an auxiliary prong 6. The head portion is weakened transversely as indicated by notches 7, one of which 7a is in the bend between the head portion and main prong. said notch 7 being partly closed by the bending of the metal when forming the fastener from a straight blank. Main prong 5 is bent substantially at right-angles to the head portion and is of greater length than auxiliary prong 6. The auxiliary prong is bent at an angle somewhat greater than a. right-angle and is inclined toward the main prong as shown.

In the present exemplification, the main prong is first driven into the ad`acent walls 8 of a container as indicated in ig. 1 penetrating the side face of one wall and the end of the adjacent wall. The head portion is then bent so as to bring it into Contact with the exterior ofthe walls, the auxiliary prong being at the same time hammered into one of the walls of the container as shown in Should it now be attempted to remove the fastener by the application of stresses to the head between bcnd T and the auxiliary prong as indicated by the insertion of screw driver 9, said fastener will break at T or at Ta, since the previous bending has so weakened the metal at those points as to prevent the parts from assuming their normal position. Again, if the screw driver is inserted between 7a and 7b, the metal will break at either one of these points or the other Without the main prong being withdrawn. In either event the main prong will remain embedded and the box, if such is used in connection with the invention, will remain sealed and evidence of tampering with the contents will remain. In some instances, where metallic strapping is not used in connection with a box to which the invention may be applied. it is advantageous to use a supplemental nail l0 for fastening' the cover to the box. In such cases, nail-1() is driven in first, and the main prong of the fastener is then caused to enter the box in such a way that head portion 4 overlies the head of nail 10, as shown.

I claim:

An improved fastener comprising: a straight head-portion weakened at a plurality of points transversely and over a considerable extent of its surface, two prongs connected by said head-portion, one` main prong bent downwardly substantially at right-angles to the head-portion, and another, an auxiliary prong bent downwardly at an angle greater than a right angle and inclined toward the main prong, the main prong being of greater length than the auxiliary prong.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 2nd day of December 1918.

WINFRED M. BROOKS. 

